Skip to main content

WhatsApp Cloud Data Source

The WhatsApp Cloud connector enables you to send pre-approved template messages to customers, manage WhatsApp Business Account settings, and integrate WhatsApp messaging capabilities into your data workflows. This connector is particularly useful for applications that need to send automated notifications, deliver marketing messages, provide customer support via WhatsApp, or integrate WhatsApp messaging with CRM and other business systems. Follow the instructions below to create a new data flow that ingests data from a WhatsApp Cloud source in Nexla.
whatsapp_cloud_api.png

WhatsApp Cloud

Create a New Data Flow​

  1. To create a new data flow, navigate to the Integrate section, and click the New Data Flow button. Then, select the desired flow type from the list, and click the Create button.

  2. Select the WhatsApp Cloud connector tile from the list of available connectors. Then, select the credential that will be used to connect to the WhatsApp Cloud API, and click Next; or, create a new WhatsApp Cloud credential for use in this flow.

  3. In Nexla, WhatsApp Cloud data sources can be created using pre-built endpoint templates, which expedite source setup for common WhatsApp Cloud API endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding WhatsApp Cloud API endpoint, making source configuration easy and efficient.
    • To configure this source using a template, follow the instructions in Configure Using a Template.

    WhatsApp Cloud sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from WhatsApp Cloud API endpoints not included in the pre-built templates or apply further customizations to exactly suit your needs.
    • To configure this source manually, follow the instructions in Configure Manually.

Configure Using a Template​

Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure data sources to ingest data from common WhatsApp Cloud API endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding WhatsApp Cloud API endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.

Endpoint Settings​

  • Select the endpoint from which this source will fetch data from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Available endpoint templates are listed in the expandable boxes below. Click on an endpoint to see more information about it and how to configure your data source for this endpoint.

    Send Template Message

    This endpoint sends a pre-approved WhatsApp template message using phone number ID. Use this endpoint when you need to send automated notifications, deliver marketing messages, or send templated messages to customers via WhatsApp.

    • Enter the schedule in the Schedule field. This is a cron expression that determines when messages will be sent. The default value is 0 * * * * (every hour).
    • Enter the Phone Number ID in the Phone Number ID field. This is the WhatsApp Cloud Phone Number ID for sending messages. You can find this in your WhatsApp Business Account settings.
    • Enter the API version in the API Version field. The default value is v22.0. Use the version that matches your Meta Graph API version.
    • Enter the recipient phone number in the Recipient Phone Number field. This should be in international E.164 format (e.g., +1234567890).
    • Enter the template name in the Template Name field. This is the name of your approved WhatsApp template (e.g., hello_world). Templates must be pre-approved by Meta before use.
    • Enter the template language code in the Template Language Code field. This should be in the format language_COUNTRY (e.g., en_US for English US, hi_IN for Hindi India). The default value is en_US.

    The Send Template Message endpoint uses POST requests to send pre-approved template messages via the WhatsApp Cloud API. Template messages must be approved by Meta before they can be sent. You can create and submit templates for approval in the Meta Business Manager. For more information about sending template messages, refer to the WhatsApp Cloud API Send Messages Guide.

Endpoint Testing​

Once the selected endpoint template has been configured, Nexla can retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched according to the current settings. This allows users to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.

  • To test the current endpoint configuration, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu. Sample data will be fetched & displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right.

  • If the sample data is not as expected, review the selected endpoint and associated settings, and make any necessary adjustments. Then, click the Test button again, and check the sample data to ensure that the correct information is displayed.

Configure Manually​

WhatsApp Cloud data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid WhatsApp Cloud API endpoint. Manual configuration provides maximum flexibility for accessing endpoints not covered by pre-built templates or when you need custom API configurations.

With manual configuration, you can also create more complex WhatsApp Cloud sources, such as sources that use chained API calls to fetch data from multiple endpoints or sources that require custom authentication headers or request parameters.

API Method​

  1. To manually configure this source, select the Advanced tab at the top of the configuration screen.

  2. Select the API method that will be used for calls to the WhatsApp Cloud API from the Method pulldown menu. The most common methods are:

    • POST: For sending messages or executing actions via the API (most WhatsApp Cloud API endpoints use POST)

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the WhatsApp Cloud API endpoint from which this source will fetch data in the Set API URL field. This should be the complete URL including the protocol (https://) and any required path parameters. WhatsApp Cloud API endpoints typically follow the pattern https://graph.facebook.com/{api_version}/{phone_number_id}/messages, where {api_version} is your API version (e.g., v18.0) and {phone_number_id} is your WhatsApp Business Phone Number ID.

Ensure the API endpoint URL is correct and accessible with your current credentials. You can test the endpoint using the Test button after configuring the URL. The endpoint URL should use the API version configured in your credential. WhatsApp Cloud API requires Bearer token authentication, which is automatically included from your credential.

Path to Data​

Optional

If only a subset of the data that will be returned by API endpoint is needed, you can designate the part(s) of the response that should be included in the Nexset(s) produced from this source by specifying the path to the relevant data within the response. This is particularly useful when API responses contain metadata, pagination information, or other data that you don't need for your analysis.

Path to Data is essential when API responses have nested structures. Without specifying the correct path, Nexla might not be able to properly parse and organize your data into usable records. For WhatsApp Cloud API responses, common paths include $ for the entire response, $.messages for message arrays, or $.data[*] for arrays of data.

  • To specify which data should be treated as relevant in responses from this source, enter the path to the relevant data in the Set Path to Data in Response field.

    • For responses in JSON format enter the JSON path that points to the object or array that should be treated as relevant data. JSON paths use dot notation (e.g., $.messages to access the messages array).

Request Headers​

Optional

  • If Nexla should include any additional request headers in API calls to this source, enter the headers & corresponding values as comma-separated pairs in the Request Headers field (e.g., header1:value1,header2:value2). Additional headers are often required for API versioning, content type specifications, or custom authentication requirements.

    You do not need to include any headers already present in the credentials. Common headers like Authorization, Content-Type, and Accept are typically handled automatically by Nexla based on your credential configuration. For WhatsApp Cloud API, the Authorization header with Bearer token is automatically included from your credential.

Request Body​

Optional

  • If the API endpoint requires a request body (which is common for POST requests to WhatsApp Cloud API), enter the request body in the Request Body field. The request body should be formatted as JSON and include the necessary parameters for the API request, such as recipient phone number, message type, and message content.

    For WhatsApp Cloud API message requests, the request body typically includes a messaging_product field (set to "whatsapp"), a to field (recipient phone number in E.164 format), a type field (message type), and message content fields. Refer to the WhatsApp Cloud API documentation for the complete list of supported parameters and message types.

Endpoint Testing​

After configuring all settings for the selected endpoint, Nexla can retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched according to the current configuration. This allows users to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.

  • To test the current endpoint configuration, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu. Sample data will be fetched & displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right.

  • If the sample data is not as expected, review the selected endpoint and associated settings, and make any necessary adjustments. Then, click the Test button again, and check the sample data to ensure that the correct information is displayed.

Save & Activate the Source​

  1. Once all of the relevant steps in the above sections have been completed, click the Create button in the upper right corner of the screen to save and create the new WhatsApp Cloud data source. Nexla will now begin ingesting data from the configured endpoint and will organize any data that it finds into one or more Nexsets.